Prison accused of lack of candour in probe into three self-inflicted deaths in 19 days – including ex Dreamboys boss – The Independent

‘A coroner has accused prison bosses of “failing to act with candour” as she investigated three self-inflicted deaths in just 19 days at a scandal-hit prison, including that of the former head of the Dreamboys stripper group.’

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The Independent, 14th February 2025

Source: www.independent.co.uk

New bar statistics show continuing ‘differential outcomes’ – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted February 10th, 2025 in barristers, diversity, equality, legal education, news, ombudsmen, pupillage, statistics by tracey

‘Black students are less likely to pass the barristers’ training course or secure pupillage than their white counterparts, according to analysis published by the profession’s watchdog. The Bar Standards Boards’ data also showed a 10% rise in the number of students enrolled on bar training courses over the past five years, rising from 1,685 in 2019/2020 to 2,406 in 2023/24. The increase may lead to a lower proportion of students going on to pupillage without a proportionate rise in places available, it warned.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 10th February 2025

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Hundreds arrested in New Year illegal worker blitz – BBC News

Posted February 10th, 2025 in bills, deportation, employment, government departments, immigration, news, statistics by tracey

‘Hundreds of migrants have been arrested since the start of this year as part of a UK-wide crackdown on illegal working, the government has said.’

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BBC News, 10th February 2025

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Pensions tribunal decisions highlight need for procedural compliance – OUT-LAW.com

Posted February 6th, 2025 in appeals, employment, fines, news, ombudsmen, pensions, statistics, tribunals by sally

‘A number of recent UK First-tier Tribunal (FTT) rulings highlight the importance of following the tribunal’s rules, in particular to provide the documentation required in appeals against The Pensions Regulator, an expert has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 5th February 2025

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

‘Basic lack of decency’ driving self-harm in women’s prisons, report says – The Guardian

Posted February 5th, 2025 in criminal justice, news, prisons, statistics, women by sally

‘Women in prison are resorting to self-harm because of “astonishing gaps” in basic services including strict time limits when contacting their children and bans from using washing machines for dirty underwear, according to a watchdog’s report.’

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The Guardian, 5th February 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

BSB: No need for “anxiety” over barrister training standards – Legal Futures

Posted February 4th, 2025 in barristers, legal education, news, pupillage, statistics by tracey

‘The evidence “does not support anxiety about standards” for qualifying as a barrister, the Bar Standards Board (BSB) has said.’

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Legal Futures, 4th February 2025

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

BSB publishes its Annual Report to the Board on Bar Training and a report on Bar Training statistics – Bar Standards Board

Posted February 4th, 2025 in barristers, legal education, news, pupillage, statistics by tracey

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has today published its third Annual Report to the Board on Bar Training covering the period from December 2023 to November 2024 along with a further report containing statistics on enrolment, results, and student progression overall.’

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Bar Standards Board, 3rd February 2025

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

Stalking protection orders very rarely used – BBC News

Posted January 27th, 2025 in enforcement, harassment, news, stalking, statistics, victims by tracey

‘Stalking Protection Orders (SPOs) were introduced five years ago to prevent victims being harassed further. But figures show they have hardly been used.’

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BBC News, 27th January 2025

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

What qualifies a law degree: surveying elective module provision in undergraduate legal education across England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2023–2024 – The Law Teacher

Posted January 23rd, 2025 in examinations, legal education, news, solicitors, statistics, universities by sally

‘This paper explores the contemporary elective module provision in undergraduate English law degrees. The demise of the qualifying law degree as a requirement to pursue qualification as a solicitor in England and Wales means that providers of undergraduate English law degrees now have increasing flexibility over the structure and content of courses. This paper reviews elective modules offered at providers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in the academic year 2023–2024 and finds that while there is increasing diversity among elective provision when compared to historic provision, there is also a degree of standardisation among degree providers. It discusses the significance of this standardisation in the post-qualifying law degree world and develops seven themes based on current elective provision to highlight the broader trends in elective provision. It then concludes by arguing that the legacy of the qualifying law degree is clearly influencing the new normal and suggests several questions which this raises for undergraduate legal education going forward.’

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The Law Teacher, 22nd January 2025

Source: www.tandfonline.com

Commercial Court claims fall to lowest number in decade – Legal Futures

Posted January 10th, 2025 in appeals, Commercial Court, news, statistics, Supreme Court by sally

‘The number of new claims issued in the Commercial Court last year fell to the lowest figure in over a decade, new research has revealed.’

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Legal Futures, 10th January 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Solicitors with civil higher rights poised to overtake criminal – Legal Futures

Posted January 9th, 2025 in news, rights of audience, solicitor advocates, solicitors, statistics by sally

‘The number of solicitors with civil higher rights of audience is poised to overtake criminal for the first time, Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) figures have shown.’

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Legal Futures, 9th January 2025

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Record numbers of children in England jailed many miles from their families – The Guardian

‘Vulnerable children are being jailed many miles from their families at record levels, a Guardian investigation has found, prompting warnings that the government is breaking the law.’

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The Guardian, 6th January 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

Addressing Racial Disparity in the Youth Justice System – A Critical Analysis – Mountford Chambers

‘Fatima Jama examines the report by Revolving Doors which reviews good and promising local practices that aims to tackle ethnic disparity and minority over-representation in youth justice across England and Wales.’

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Mountford Chambers, 5th November 2024

Source: www.mountfordchambers.com

Little sign of slowdown in solicitor-client costs disputes – Legal Futures

Posted December 17th, 2024 in appeals, costs, dispute resolution, news, solicitors, statistics by tracey

‘Few costs lawyers have seen a reduction in disputes between solicitors and their clients despite 2022’s Court of Appeal ruling in Belsner, their representative body has reported.’

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Legal Futures, 17th December 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Courts reform to see quicker justice for victims and keeps streets safe – Ministry of Justice

‘Victims of crimes will see the perpetrators face justice more quickly under a once-in-a-generation review of criminal courts, the Lord Chancellor announced today (12 December).’

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Ministry of Justice, 12th December 2024

Source: www.gov.uk

Defendants could be ‘diverted’ from criminal justice system amid record backlog – The Guardian

Posted December 16th, 2024 in criminal justice, Crown Court, delay, juries, Ministry of Justice, news, statistics, witnesses by tracey

‘People scheduled to stand trial could be “diverted” from the criminal justice system in efforts to tackle the “unsustainable” backlog of court cases, the head of a major justice review has said.’

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The Guardian, 14th December 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Some jury trials may be scrapped in England and Wales as court backlog hits record high – The Guardian

Posted December 13th, 2024 in courts, criminal justice, Crown Court, delay, judges, juries, news, statistics, trials by sally

‘Jury trials could be abandoned for some criminal cases in England and Wales under a radical overhaul proposed by ministers as the crown courts backlog hit a record high.’

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The Guardian, 12th December 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Record court backlog as victims wait years for justice – BBC News

‘The backlog in courts handling the most serious crimes in England and Wales has reached an unprecedented high and is likely to rise further still.’

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BBC News, 12th December 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Medico-legal market consolidating and growing “more strongly” – Legal Futures

‘The value of the medico-legal market grew by 4% in 2024, double the growth rate of the previous year, researchers have estimated.’

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Legal Futures, 12th December 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Britain leads the world in cracking down on climate activism, study finds – The Guardian

‘British police arrest environmental protesters at nearly three times the global average rate, research has found, revealing the country as a world leader in the legal crackdown on climate activism.’

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The Guardian, 11th December 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com